Some things I’ve read lately

It seems to me that summer has decided to take off full speed ahead. Not that this is a bad thing, but I had some books I had intended to talk about that I just couldn’t get a full post going on. This isn’t to say that I have been reading bad books, it’s just that I am getting so easily distracted that I seem to lose focus pretty quick. To avoid that I am going to just give you a little idea of what I have been reading and liking so far this summer.

I actually just finished this one with a bunch of other fabulous people as part of Rock My TBR. This book was the dystopian book I didn’t know I needed. When I had originally read the description I had some mixed feelings about it. I was a little worried that this book would spend ALL this time complaining about men. Now, don’t get me wrong…men can suck sometimes. But so can women. And since this book was about women being hunted and sold off I think I had a right to be concerned. I am so thankful that Kristen Simmons wrote this though, because she tackled this subject beautifully. It showed the balance that needs to happen between men and women while also showing that women are strong individuals, capable of so much more than they are sometimes given credit for. Aya was an amazing character. She was tough. She fought for her loved ones. She did whatever she could to keep her people safe. She was also tragically flawed. She tried and failed so many times, as most all humans do. Her failures never stopped her though. She continued to fight. She is the role model I think teens need. I think she is the role model that a lot of people need. A strong, independent woman who tries, fails, and tries again. I also adored Kiran, but honestly…who doesn’t? He was a great guy that really seemed to give Aya her space, listen to her, and help her in whatever way that he could. They worked so well together. And this world…this world was so much more brutal than I had ever imagined. It honestly shook me a bit. It was a very dark world, but a world where some light was able to shine through Aya and what she did. I am so incredibly glad I was finally able to read this and I hope that you give it a go if you haven’t already. I mean…it’s a standalone so that’s about 10000000000 bonus points right?

Not going to lie, I picked this book up on a total whim. I had seen it all over the place and I was curious. While I may not have been in love with it I think I definitely liked it well enough. I found some value in it. The biggest thing to me is that it was a reminder that everyone handles grief differently. Some bottle it up SO much that it become too much to handle, others go the complete opposite way. Gottie was one to bottle it up, which is not quite how I was. She never even let it out in private, which blew my mind. I thought that this is a good reminder, in a fictional way, that everyone handles grief differently and that when we approach them we need to keep that in mind. The romance in this book was fun. It’s a troupe that I am so in love with (possibly because I kind of lived it). They just made my heart so incredibly happy. There were other awesome secondary characters too, like Sof, Ned, Mrs. A, and Grey. I found myself much more drawn to them than the main characters, which is too bad because it really was her story. The time travel aspect of this book confused me a bit (and I had totally forgotten about it until all of the sudden we are in a possible loop and I was super confused). I was also not a fan of Gottie. It could just be differences in personality, but I had a very hard time with her. But even with that I was super glad to have taken the time to read this book. I think it opened my eyes to some possible real life situations in front of me.

Ok, so I know this isn’t necessarily a book and more of a short story but STILL. Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors. I think there is just ONE book of hers that I didn’t love, and I think that was more of a me thing than anything else. This short story was ADORABLE. It was exactly the pick-me-up that I needed during a pretty rough month (the person that I send to for Secret Sister sent it to me and seriously…I sobbed when I got it because it was so thoughtful and it came just after I was told of a massive and necessary car repair I needed to do. Crazy). Now, you have to know that it does involve Star Wars. I like Star Wars well enough, but I don’t necessarily LOVE it and can get annoyed with people when they overly talk about it and such. This book didn’t annoy me one bit. It was less about Star Wars and more about getting out of your comfort zone and exploring the world. You never know who you might end up meeting, what relationships you might end up creating, and what memories you may make along the way. I think, in a way, this book told the reader to take small risks and put yourself out there. I probably would be ok with MORE about these particular characters and the life that they have ahead of them, but I will be satisfied enough with the short amount of time I spent with them. Seriously, if you have the opportunity to read this short story I highly recommend it. Well worth your time.